Scalloway Castle

Opening times

The key for the castle is available from the Scalloway Museum during its opening hours.

Telephone 01856 841 815 for details.

Overview

Explore the fine castellated tower house of the infamous ‘Black Patie’.

Scalloway Castle was the home of Patrick Stewart, earl of Orkney and Shetland. ‘Black Patie’, as he became known in Shetland, was notorious for his oppression of the Shetland people. He was accused of using forced labour in Scalloway’s construction in 1599, and was eventually executed in Edinburgh in 1615.

The castle itself stands as a sophisticated and impressive example of a late 1500s tower house. One of only two castles constructed in Shetland, for many it stands as a symbol of Earl Patrick’s harsh rule.